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Power Tools For Growers, And Mowers

Photo by MONICA BRANDIES

Nancy Engelhart holds this power pole pruner, but husband John is the one who will use it on their property in Dover. “I use as few of the power tools as I can,” she says. “He uses as many as he can.”

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By MONICA BRANDIES

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 25, 2009

BRANDON - Power tools can make a homeowner's chores much easier - and for some, much more fun.

For me, they usually have been more frightening than fun.

I was thrilled when my husband, David, and I first got our little push garden tractor. It was second-hand and meant to be used for our vegetable and mum garden in Ohio, but it didn't work well or often, and it could really shake you up.

In Iowa, we invested in a Troy-Bilt for the most money we ever spent on anything but a car or a house. It arrived in a box, and something was wrong from the first.

We took it for repair, and the company paid, but we dropped it while unloading it when we brought it back, and it was never the same again. We still used it a great deal, though. When we came to Florida, I used it to plow up our lawn while all the neighbors were manicuring theirs.

That tractor served us fairly well, but it was dependent on a resident son to keep it working, and the sons grew up and moved away. I gave it to Sweetwater Farm, and they may still be using it.

I have long known how to push a lawn mower if someone starts it for me, but it was years before I admitted this. After the teenagers left, we had a lawn man for a while. He did a wonderful job of mowing around my plants, but eventually the lawn shrunk until it was small enough for David or I to mow it in 15 minutes.

So I lived happily without power tools. A few years ago, though, I learned to use the electric blower. It does a great job on walks, the carport, the driveway and the bromeliads if you want to remove the leaves.

The blower also does a good job on the storage room, the back porch and the car if I open all the doors. I roll up the extension cord carefully, but it always gets tangled.

So, I decided to try the electric clipper while I had the cord in place. This also works well for some light pruning, like cutting ornamental grasses to the ground in spring if they are looking bad or widening the path throughout the year. I also am using it on a few soft and narrow stemmed plants to remove the frost damage.

I interviewed other grandmothers who were handy with a chain saw - and, so inspired, the last two years I've been using that as well. I don't use anything but the blower when I'm home alone, just in case, but the chain saw sure is quicker than the hand saw, especially now that I have so many mature trees and shrubs to prune.

When I visited the garden of John and Nancy Engelhart last year, I was in awe of their power tools.

Because they have 10 acres that include a pasture, a pond, a large and well-landscaped yard, and at least half an acre of a vegetable garden, they have good use for tractors, trimmers and other power tools. Two small, farm-size tractors occupy one shed. Closer to the garden is another shed packed with smaller tools.

I can hardly imagine using the long-handled pole saw with a motor attached. I can barely hold our powerless one, let alone use it. Nancy holds it, but John uses it.

"I use as few power tools as I can," Nancy said. "And he uses as many as he can."

I can appreciate both inclinations. I will keep using what I have been using until I get the jungle in my yard under control. But if you don't have power tools and are considering their value, or if you need something new, wait until you read next week's column before you buy.

Today's Pick

Blue daze, Evolvulus glomeratus, is a perennial that will require no power tools, though I could have taken a trimmer to remove the dead tops after the freeze. Mine is coming back nicely and even showing a few blooms. Blue daze likes full sun to partial shade and makes a good ground cover instead of grass. It grows only about 12 inches tall and has small, round flowers as blue as any morning glory - the bright blue that is rare among garden flowers. These stay open only for the first half of the day, unless it is cloudy. Plant it where you will see it in the morning. The plants spread somewhat, though it is best to dig and divide a clump to cover more ground quickly. It also roots easily from cuttings. The silver-green foliage is neat and attractive, and the spent flowers are self-cleaning. Blue daze is easy to grow, reliable and blooms year-round, unless nipped by frost. It has high salt tolerance but only medium drought tolerance. Too much water can cause fungal blight. A little extra bloom-booster fertilizer and an occasional shearing back will result in a greater profusion of flowers. This member of the morning glory family is native to tropical America.

Now's The Time To ...

•Contact me if your garden is past or nearly past the dark times. I need gardens to write about. Mine is far from that stage, but the azaleas were more beautiful than ever until the dryness cut them short. All plants need more water in flower and fruit stages than when they are just sprouting leaves.

•Work near the citrus as much as you can and enjoy the fragrance. Mine are blooming late this year, and I am trying to water them deeply every two weeks, at least until the fruit is well set.

•Water newly set plants and those in containers as needed. These are very dry times, very early.

•Pray for rain.

Upcoming Events

•Mark your calendar for April 1, when master gardener Virginia Overstreet will talk about High Color/Low Maintenance at 7 p.m. at the Free Plant Clinic at Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico. Call (813) 273-3652.

•The Tampa African Violet Society will meet at 7 p.m. April 2 at the Ragan Community Center, 1200 E. Lake Ave., Tampa. New officers will be installed. A plant raffle will be held, and growing tips offered. Visitors are welcome. There will be free admission and parking. Call Mary Lou Harden at (813) 689-8700 or Mina Menish at (813) 681-1910.

Monica Brandies can be reached at monicabrandies@yahoo.com.

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